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Did Hurricane Sandy Sink 'Noah's' Ark?

The Oyster Bay location for Darren Aronofsky's Bible tale was directly in the storm's path -- and conditions are still too poor for the production to assess damage to the massive boat.

With travel still all but impossible in parts of storm-ravaged New York, a source with knowledge of Darren Aronofsky’s Noah says it remains unclear whether a massive exterior of the ark weathered the storm.

The structure -- three stories or 75 feet tall, 450 feet long and 45 feet wide -- was in Oyster Bay, an inlet on the Long Island Sound directly in the storm's path. Having finished most of the work at an interior set that had been built in the New York Armory, the Paramount production was set to shoot tank work on the exterior set.

While the interior set was not damaged, no one has been able to get to the exterior set. “There are so many fallen trees -- we can’t get any confirmation [of its condition] yet,” says the source.

Local news reports suggest that many roads are blocked, that travel in the area is extremely difficult and that conditions are hazardous due to downed trees and debris. Town Supervisor John Venditto told a reporter, “In 63 years ... I have not seen this much devastation out of a singular weather event.”

In a tweet Sunday night, Emma Watson noted the irony of the production of Noah being struck by floods. She, co-star Russell Crowe and other castmembers remain in New York, awaiting the opportunity to resume filming.

The exterior sequences were to be finished by Nov. 9; it is unclear how long production will be delayed. The film, with an estimated budget of $115 million, is set for release in March 2014.

A studio source says the damage is covered by insurance, adding, "We have a long postproduction schedule, so this has no long-term impact on release of the film."

I take it that the irony of a massive storm holding up the production of Noah is not lost @DarrenAronofsky@russellcrowe @mattylibatique